Milan-based Cato raises €6 million to help companies find and win public tenders with AI
Cato, a Milan-based AI platform that helps companies find, analyse and win public tenders, has raised a €6 million Seed round led by Keen Venture Partners. The round, led by the Amsterdam- and London-based early-stage venture firm, also saw a group of existing investors return for the new round, including Vento, Heartfelt, Moonstone, BHeroes, Alecla7 […] The post Milan-based Cato raises €6…
Milan-based AI platform Cato has secured €6 million in Seed funding to assist companies in discovering and winning public tenders through advanced technology. Led by Amsterdam- and London-based venture firm Keen Venture Partners, the round also saw participation from existing investors Vento, Heartfelt, Moonstone, BHeroes, Alecla7, and Nova Venture, as well as angel investors from startups Lexroom, Sibill, and Pillar.
Cato's CEO, Andrea Zorzetto, highlighted the platform's role in helping clients identify suitable tenders, understand requirements, and enhance bid preparation, leading to increased chances of winning contracts. Founded in 2025 by Zorzetto and Matteo Bossolini, Cato is Italy's first AI-native platform dedicated to public sector procurement.
The company reports that government contracts constitute around 14% of EU GDP, amounting to approximately €2.5 trillion annually across over 250,000 contracting authorities. In Italy alone, public tenders reached €309 billion in 2025, up 13.9% year-over-year. Cato leverages technology to track more than 27,000 sources for relevant tenders, extract requirements and evaluation criteria, and pre-fill administrative sections using the company's existing materials.
The AI system also ensures traceability of generated claims back to their source, while the final submission remains under the customer's control. Keen Venture Partners' General Partner, Briehan Burke, emphasized the potential of Italy as a market for AI in public procurement due to its complexity and the lack of existing AI-native software for bidders.
Cato serves clients ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporations across various sectors, processing thousands of tenders, with most customers utilizing the platform daily. The fresh funding brings Cato's total capital to €7.6 million since its founding and will be allocated towards platform enhancement, commercial expansion, and team growth.
As part of the pre-Seed financing, Cato acquired Avvista.ai through an acqui-hire, bringing on Riccardo Sabatti and his team. Additionally, Cato has hired Luisa Gamba, who previously led public-sector partnerships in Italy at Amazon Business, to strengthen its senior leadership team. Plans are in place to expand Cato's platform to additional sectors and, based on customer demand, into international markets beyond Italy.
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